Bizarre Plot to Kill Wives Alleged

ByVernon C. Thompson

October 12, 1977

A Bowie woman and her 4-month old daughter were murdered as part of a "you kill my wife and I'll kill yours" agreement between her husband and a fellow computer technician, a Prince George's County investigator said yesterday.

Lon A. Lewis wanted his wife and daughter killed because he was in love with another woman, the investigator told a county District Court judge. The man who police allege murdered Lewis' wife and child hoped in turn to collect on his own wife's life insurance, the investigator said.

Carol Lewis and her daughter, Heather, were found stabbed to death in the kitchen of the Lewis home in Bowie on Sept. 23. Their throats had been slit and their bodies, lying in "gallons of blood" bore multiple stab wounds, police said.

Lon Lewis and Gene T. Meyer, both 28, had been arrested Friday and charged with the murder of Mrs. Lewis and conspiracy to commit murder after they gave statements to police about the murders, said Charles Keiss, an assistant state's attorney's office investigator. As a result of yesterday's hearing, Judge Vincent J. Femia ordered both men hold in county jail in lieu of $100,000 bond each.

Keiss told Judge Femia that according to the statements given to police, Meyer, a Rockville resident, initially was offered $3,000 by Lewis to kill Lewis' wife and child. Meyer later offered to kill the two for nothing if Lewis agreed to kill Meyer's wife, Keiss related.

According to Keiss, Lewis and Meyer first met to discuss killing Lewis' wife in March. Subsequently the two men met in a Rockville bar and then at Lewis' home to conclude plans the night before the murders.

At that last meeting in the Lewis home, according to prosecution documents presented during the bond hearing yesterday, Meyer told Lewis that he would "kill Carol Lewis then if Lon Lewis had alibi."

The two men agreed that Lewis would return home late the next night, allowing Meyer to kill Carol Lewis, according to testimony yesterday.

The documents allege that Lewis returned home late Friday, Sept. 23, as planned and noticed Meyer driving away from the Rockledge neighbourhood where the Lewis's lived. Lewis then entered his home and found the bodies of his wife and daughter, according to the documents.

Lewis is employed in the Baltimore office of Data Point Corp., a computer firm with its home base in San Antonio, tex., while Meyer is a computer technician in the Data Point Washington office.

Keiss said that Lewis was prompted to make the deal with Meyer because of his relationship with another woman in San Antonio.

After attending the funeral for his wife and daughter, Lewis left to visit his family in Michigan, according to police. He returned to his Bowie home on Oct. 5 and for the next two days he was interviewed by county police, police said.

As a result of those interviews, and the subsequent statement that Lewis gave to police, police were able to arrest Meyer and charge Lewis, according to police.

"At this point we plan to plead not guilty and are prepared to use a full defense," said Joseph A. DePaul, attorney for Meyer. Lewis' attorney, Leslie Gladstone, also indicated that Lewis would plead innocent.

I just want justice," said Mary Milan, mother of the slain woman. "I want the person who did this to my daughter and grandchild to get his day in court. It's inconceivable that such a thing could happen. I don't know if the pain will ever go away," she said.

According to George Milan, father of Carol, his son-in-law and daughter had been close to him and his wife, Mary, during the eight years of the Lewis marriage. The young couple went camping with the Milans and frequently held family barbecues, he said.

Both men are scheduled to receive preliminary hearings on Nov. 3. Keiss said the state's attorneys office expected further charges to be brought against the men in connection with the death of the child.